Joe Markley

Connecticut state Sen. Joe Markley, R-Southington, says he would “not be comfortable,” if Gov. Dannel P. Malloy nominates state Supreme Court Justice Andrew McDonald to be the next Chief Justice. Earlier this month, Chief Justice Chase Rodgers indicated she will retire, giving the governor a sixth pick on the eight-seat court. That activism itself, has Markley concerned.

There has been speculation Malloy might push for McDonald’s promotion to Chief Justice and this morning on the Talk of Connecticut, when Markley was asked, if he would be comfortable with McDonald’s nomination, he replied, “No, absolutely not. He himself was a state senator and I think the idea of putting people who have been very involved in politics in a partisan way to this kind of position on the court is troubling.”

McDonald, a 51-year-old liberal Democrat, goes way back with Malloy, serving as his top adviser, when he was mayor of Stamford, and that has Markley concerned too.

“He (McDonald) has a reputation of being more partisan than usual, and was very much an ally of Malloy over the years. There was a sense his elevation (to the Supreme Court) was considered something of a reward for the service he had done for the governor politically over the years.”

While in the legislature, McDonald served for 10 years as co-chair of the influential judiciary committee. Markley is currently a member of that committee. He also intends to seek the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor in 2018.

State Sen. Joe Markley foresees another tax hike from Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to solve the state’s latest budget crisis. Speaking to reporters on Friday, the governor did not list tax hikes as his first resort but did not rule removing them from the table either.

When asked about Malloy’s tax comment, the fiscally conservative senator, appearing on CT On The Hill over the Talk of Connecticut, stated:

“Well, it’s what we’ve come to expect from this man, which is no matter what he says before elections are held after the election, it’s a tax hike.”

The governor has imposed two major tax hikes on the state but a budget deficit persists. Markley said it is not a given that the governor will place tax hikes in the budget he presents to the General Assembly on Feb. 8, but he says in the end, the governor may be endorsing higher taxes to balance the budget sent to his desk, when the legislature adjourns.